Naruto The Next Generation
by sarahisabeast1
Summary: 16-17 years has passed since Naruto and his friends were the young chuunin and genin of the village. New adventures will take place as their kids and other characters begin the long journey to becoming true shinobi. Full summary inside!
1. Ch 1 Entering: Sora Risaikury!

Hey guys! Umm, well, i'm new to this website, but I REALLY wanted to join because I love to write Naruto Fanfiction, so I guess this would be my first publishing. (:

FULL SUMMARY: Many years have passed since the time when Naruto and his friends were young, genin and chuunin. 16-17 years, to be exact. Naruto is now the leader of a young genin team whilst some of his friends are as well with their own teams. The Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and Kabuto were thought to allbe taken out long ago, but are they really? Evil seems to be stiring in the shadows again, and threatening the shinobi world's newfound peace. What exactly is going to happen? Join our character Sora as we travel along with her on her ninja jorney to become strong, make friends, battle the unexpected, and find out who she really is.

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Sora Risaikury, had become a ninja. After endless hours, days, even months of training, practice and perseverance, she made it, she had passed the exam. Her pink lips curved into a smile as she re-counted what had happened, and the teen wouldn't ever even think to forget the the Hokage's face as she nodded her head in agreement with the other jounin, all in agreement to let her pass. Sora still couldn't believe it to this day, the day when they were told to go back to the academy and get their teams, actually.

Sora snapped back from her thoughts, full reality setting in.

Today really was the day.

The smile fading from the kunoichi's lips, she shook her thin, straight, light brown hair away from her eyes, also standing up from the sitting position she was in on the mattress known as her bed. Of all things the girl didn't want to be late, not on today.

Silently, she made her way to the full body mirror merely a few feet away and stood before it, looking at the reflection before her. Was she satisfied? Sure. Did it matter? Not really. Unlike many kunoichi Sora's age, the girl wasn't interested in how she looked or what she wore, or if the boy that lived next door thought she was a "hot mama" What mattered was that she was a shinobi now, and deserved it to. Last year the exam didn't go so well for her, but a new leaf was turned, none of it mattered now.

She sighed, still looking at the reflection. Although not caring about looks, it wouldn't have hurt to get a hair cut. She shifted her stance, the light brown hair moved slightly tickling Sora's lower back. It was long, touching the girl's rear end if she just so happened to tip her head back. Studying the clothes in the mirror, the 13-year-old decided it was time for a change. No more t-shirts and such clothes, It was time to put on the ninja gear and outfit she was saving, saving until this very day.

Walking to the corner of the small apartment room, Sora picked up a stack of neatly folded clothing, a grin plastered across her face. Changing quickly, she pulled the soft pink top over her torso and the short, black spats up her slender legs until they rested comfortably over her butt, and also grabbing the black clothe forehead protector the girl had just got only days before. It still looked brand new. Sora tied it around her waist, as a matter of fact it hugged her hips nicely. Walking back to the mirror she studied myself. "Very nice." The young kunoichi thought confidently, admiring the headband. Her pink top was comfortable as well, yellow buttons dotted the middle of the shirt until it ended showing the black spats. (shorts) And the ninja shoes made her legs look longer, Sora rolled my eyes at that, still being 4'9 and 13 years old.

But still, it didn't very much matter.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she took a remaining look a the reflection and turned away, grabbing and putting one last thing on herself. A ninja pouch, it carried all the tools a shinobi needed and used. She tied a white bandage around the black bag hastily, realizing I was taking longer then anticipated. "Ahh, hurry up!" The long-haired kunoichi mentally yelled at myself as she finished tyeing a sturdy knot. As Sora tried to shake away the bangs that got in her line of vision from bending down, she wasn't thinking much of it and not watching where so was going and WHAM!

Right into the closed door.

She took a few steps back, rubbing her forehead ferociously.

"Stupid door! Why was it closed?" The girl grouched underneath her breathe, forgetting that she, in fact, was the one who originally shut it. Eventually the teen stopped rubbing, as it only seemed to make the pain worse, and now, waiting no more then a few seconds, took the door handle this time and turned. Off she flew down the road.

-X-

"So this'll be my last day, huh?" Sora thought giddily as she walked up to the academy door, she was in the school, but had yet to enter the room. And she had made it there, and with time to spare. Standing silent for a moment, her expression looking thoughtful as she almost glared at the floor. The young girl now moved her head up, her face softened at the sight of the door as her giddiness seemed to vanish. She looked at the wood rectangle longingly, as if she didn't want to leave the academy anymore. "I gotta admit it though, I'm gonna miss this place." She admitted under her breathe, as if saying it any louder would be painful.

"Why would you miss this place? It's just a boring, old building. Nothing special." It turns out that saying it even as a mumble was painful enough. A boy showed himself as he walked down the hall, obviously the owner of the voice, heading towards Sora. "Hmph. Ryouga, pleasure to see you to." The girl replied with a heavy sarcastic tone. The boy's faced showed no emotion as he continued walking, a steady "pat-pat" noise being made in the empty hall due to his shoes. Sora took the opportunity to check out the boys new clothing. He wore a tight, sleeveless green shirt with white lining at the ends, and black shinobi pants, as often many ninja wore. He had several white bandages around his right thigh and a black leg-holster rested atop them, the boy was around 5'2, and his forehead protector was tied across his forehead, as expected, plus his shoes matched Sora's exactly. The boy's light green eyes matched his own shirt appropriately.

"Surprising." Sora thought aloud, a smirk spreading through her lips as she turned away, eyes closed.

"Don't go acting cool, girl, I'm the one surprised." He retorted, his emotionless expression didn't waver, but his brownish-red hair seemed to move a little as he walked now, it was unusually choppy, and ended just after his ears. It might have even looked cute if he wasn't such a jerk.

"Oh yeah, and why's that!" The young, 13 year old kunoichi was already getting worked up. Man, this guy really grinned her gears.

"Because it seems they actually let you pass this year." He paused as he reached where Sora stood, giving a little sigh.

"Now move." His gruff voice pierced the air around the kunoichi.

"And what If I don't?" The girl turned to face the boy her age, anger was easily read all across her face. Her fingers twitched in annoyance.

"That's not an option, Sora. I'm superior. I'll simply just make you." The boy was the one smirking now, clearly getting his satisfactory in making the girl so angered.

"YOUR GONNA D-" The young girl was cut off by a hand covering her mouth, it wasn't her own or anyone else's though, surprisingly, it was Ryouga's. Her eyes searched around in a panic, but seconds later the teen realized that she could still breathe, and relaxed somewhat. Ryouga shook his head disapprovingly at the sight, but released his grip anyways.

"Don't make such a scene." He scolded as he turned to face the door now. The boy opened it, turning the golden handle and began to walk into the room with other genin.

"Bye, failure." Came one last comment, a little quieter, as the teen disappeared, the door shutting behind him. Sora's fist trembled at her side slightly, anger was still quite obvious in the girl.

"Dammit! He still treats me like I'm some kind of worthless brat!" The kunoichi thought, her head tilted down as she stared at the wooden floor. "If only my clan's kekkei genkai would awaken! Ugh, I know that I have it! Then I would show Ryouga and all the other genin that i'm actually worth something, and something they should acknowledge!" Sora's fist slowly started to stop shaking, her head shooting up in the process.

"Ryouga Hatake, i'm going become stronger, and catch up to you!" She exclaimed into the air with a grin, her look of determination was fierce as she burst the wooden door open, entering the classroom and all it's students.

Iruka-sensei was standing at the front of the room, surprised at the entrance. He looked much older, his skin forming wrinkles and his brown hair was worn down now, out of the ponytail.

"Oh, Sora-chan, you made it just in time! I was just about to start the speech!" Iruka announced, a warm smile on his lips.

"Heh heh, great Iruka-sensei!" Sora responded with an ear to ear grin, showing she was excited.

"Just take a seat next to Daiki!"

Without complaint Sora looked around the room for the boy, a moment later she found the blond-haired genin sitting in the middle, an empty seat on his left. Without any more delay, the kunoichi walked to the designated spot as all eyes seemed to switch from her entrance back to Iruka.

"Hey Daiki! What's going on? " The girl whispered to the Yamanaka clan member, bending down close to his ear, her light brown hair touching his cheek but also getting in her own face.

The normally loud, obnoxious, conceited boy seemed to melt in Sora's hands. "H-hey Sora. Nothing, Iruka-sensei hasn't even spoken yet, he's about to right now. " A blush crept across his cheeks.

"Mm? Alright.." Replied the 13 year old girl as she moved back into a comfortable position in her chair. "Whatta wierdo. He acts so different around me then anyone else...do I smell bad or something?" Sora thought, almost ready to smell herself, but decided against it.

"Alright class-erm, I mean, genin!" Iruka corrected himself, sweat-dropping in the process. "Today is your final day at the academy. As you all know, you will be getting assigned three-man cells and of course, a jonin instructor. I'm going to read off the teams right now, so listen carefully for your name!" The teacher explained as he held up a piece of paper to his face.

Sora eagerly awaited her name to be called as her legs fidgeted uncomfortably underneath the table. God, when would she be called?

Iruka had already finnished off the first time as he began the next one. "Team two..." He began, eyes focused on the paper. "Will be Kiku Saikyou, Daiki Yamanaka, and Isamu Hitoshireno." Sora looked around the room, finding the members of the team easily, but didn't bother to give it a second thought.

"I'm not on Sora's team. Hmph." Thought Daiki, crossing his arms as Iruka kept calling out teams. Soon the teacher made it to the 6th team, and the young, 13 year olds name was still not called.

"Team six will be... Haruko Yuhi, Nobuyuki Futeki, and Jurou Kionircu."

Blah blah blah. Yes, Sora knew the genin as fellow classmates. But it didn't matter now, what did, was who were her team members? Iruka kept going on, getting to the 8th team still without the kunoichi's name being said. Her mind was spinning, the anticipation almost becoming to much.

"HEY! Iruka-sensei, i'm still not on a team yet, what's the deal?" Sora shot up from her chair, glaring angrily and pointing a finger at the man. All eyes were on her as her brown hair flew into her face. As usual.

"If you would have simply waited, Sora, you would have found out that you're on this next team." Iruka responded calmly, but it was obvious he was not pleased with the outburst.

The girl sweat-dropped largly, trying to fake off a smile. "Heh, just kidding!" She took her arm down and started fixing her shorts, although nothing was wrong with them. She sat again while shaking the hair away from her face, waiting for the teacher to continue.

"Team nine. Sora Risaikury..." Iruka began, the young girl balled her hands into fists, waiting for the next name to be called. "Whoever it is, I hope it's not Ryouga!" she thought sighing a little bit. "...Koichi Eisei..." The next name was called. "So far, so good!" Sora thought again, turning around and giving a glance at the white-haired genin sitting a few seats back. "...And Ryouga Hatake!" Iruka finnished. The short, long-haired kunoichi thought she heard wrong.

"Um, say that last name again?" She scratched her head confusingly.

"Ryouga Hatake." Iruka stated simply, and then added on. "Is that a problem?"

Sora waited a moment to think before responding.

"HELL YEAH IT IS!" She shot up from her chair for the second time that day, the old, brown chair skidded backwards and fell over at the power. "We DO NOT get along, Ryouga is annoying! He's always so jealous of me, sensei, switch the teams!" She shot Iruka a deadly glare.

"My god, I haven't seen a glare that fierce since Naruto was a genin." The teacher thought, sweat-dropping tremendously with a smile and closed eyes.

"This isn't fair!" Sora shot again not waiting for a reply from the teacher, her hair was moving wildly in all directions as her head moved in anger.

"Life's not fair." A new voice broke into the conversation, startling both the girl and the teacher. Not to mention the entire class was watching the scene with interest. The kunoichi looked over to the left where the voice came from, and her eyes squinted with anger once she found the source.

Ryouga.

"You want a pi-" Sora was cut off by Iruka. "Unless you both want to spend another year at the academy, I suggest you both quiet down right now!" The man was obviously annoyed now, as his voice had escalated into a yell. He was shaking a fist at the two.

"Psh. How intimidating." Sora thought sarcastically as she cooled herself off, picking up the fallen chair and taking her seat in it. Ryouga simply just looked away, as if he had better things to do. Iruka regained his composure, while starting to speak again.

"You may all take a quick lunch break and then meet back here, get directions on where to meet your new jonin instructor's, and immediately leave with your squad to that designated place. Is there any questions?" The man waited for any former-student to raise a hand, he looked at Sora especially long. But, the class simply just nodded their heads, including the loud-mouthed girl.

"Then I'll be seeing you all." Iruka nodded his head to the genin as they began to disperse for lunch.

"Yes!"Sora thought with determination, turning her head down. "That much closer to finding out who I really am." And with that last thought, she exited through the academy door.

"Get ready world, 'cuz here I come."

-X-

Naruto stood silently, looking intently at a few pieces of white paper in the academy room. Sakura and Shikamaru stood right next to the Kyuubi boy, doing the same thing. Iruka stood patiently, waiting for each other the jonin's responses. They were looking at their new teams profiles, and Shikamaru was the first to finnish.

"Haruka Yuhi, huh?" Shikamaru said as he folded the white papers in half, sticking them into the green jacket, the one that he got many years ago for first becoming a jounin. His appearance hadn't changed much at all, besides the fact he now wore green pants instead of black, to match his jacket. "Asuma and Kurenai's daughter finally became a genin." The tactician continued speaking, a small, barely noticeable smile on his face. Naruto and Sakura looked up from their reading to listen. "I helped that girl grow up, I was like her father. But now, now i'm her sensei!" He couldn't help but smile bigger, he was happy with the team that Lady Tsunade gave him. "And it also looks I have a boy of the Futeki clan, very interesting. Plus a fire style user." Shikamaru paused. "This crop of genin seem extra strong this year."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement, her pink hair had grown like a weed in the past 16-17 years, it now reached her lower back, but still had that choppiness to it's ends. She wore her red forehead protector like a headband, like she always did. She now wore a dark pink sleeveless top that stopped just after her chest, showing her stomach wrapped in fishnet, and A pink skirt with two overlapping white circles in the left corner. She wore longer, and now black gloves then when she was a chuunin, the gloves now ending just above her elbow. Her boots were also longer and black, ending just below her knee. "It looks here that i've got a girl with an IQ of over 200 on my team, a tactician, Shikamaru." Sakura glanced over to the man with a smile. "It would seem that she has massive potential. And i've got a member of the Yamanaka clan, Ino and Sai's son, to be exact." The cheerful girl grimaced, thinking of his father. "I wonder if he's like Sai." The jounin chuckled under her breathe, but it was obvious she was enthusiastic about having him on her team. "And my last member is a boy of the Hitoshireno clan. This boy reminds me a little of Kiba, from what i've read." Sakura finnished with a bit of a sigh. "I might be in for some trouble with him."

Naruto spoke up now. "Your telling me." He also folded his paper like Shikamaru and stuck it into a pocket of his orange pants. He now wore a long, white and orange hoodless cloak over a white tshirt, his orange pants staying very similar to how they were a long while ago. His blond, spiky hair grew out more, resembling Minato's more then ever. And of course his forehead protector stayed on his forehead. "I have our old sensei's son, Sakura. Ryouga Hatake. Seems here that he graduated as a top student, but with a bad attitude. Doesn't seem like he inherited Kakashi's personality." Naruto paused to grin at this two friends. "I also have a boy of the Eisei clan, weak in actual combat. Hmm, and it seems I've gotten the dead last kunoichi as well. Sora Risaikury of the Risaikury clan." Naruto scanned all three faces of the shinobi, waiting for any details or comments they could offer. No one spoke up so he continued. "It seems her entire clan was wiped out mysteriously 8 years ago, and she was the only one found by ANBU, barely breathing and half dead. That clan of hers was very secretive, so i'm guessing that no one really had gotten any clues as to how or why her clan was destroyed?" Naruto scanned the faces again as Iruka spoke up now.

"Your guess is corect, Naruto-kun. She lives without a family, or hardly any friends, just like you did... But Sora is also a handful Naruto-kun, you'll have trouble with her. She is just like you...when you were her age..." Iruka sweat-dropped, scratching the back of his head casually. Naruto nodded in return.

"Iruka, your forgetting, i'm the best ninja ever, I can handle anything!" Naruto joked around, causing Sakura and Shikamaru to laugh a little. Naruto had never really seemed to mature all the way.

"But serriously, I can't wait to meet them. Especially Sora." Naruto exclaimed.

"Same here with my students, Naruto-kun! But remember, don't go easy on them!" Sakura looked at the blonde, her expression warm.

"I know, Sakura-chan. But try telling that to lazy-ass over there!" The jounin joked as Shikamaru's eye twitched, ready to hit the blond upside the head.

"You guys haven't changed at all, have you?" Iruka joined the conversation, shaking his head back and forth but smiling at the same time. All three jounin returned the smile, the answer obvious. "Anyways, the students should be getting back soon from lunch, so you all should go to the spot you were assigned to meet your subordinates. That okay?"

All three nodded in unison, and Naruto adding in a loud "Let's go, guys!" as they dispersed in black flashes to the meeting places.

Iruka took a deep breathe as the first students began walking through the doorway. "They left just in time." The man said with a smirk, his classroom quickly filling up.

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Well, that's it for the first chapter guys. Thanks for reading! Oh, and I would really appreciate reviews, as i'm a new writer and would like anything, even critisism helps. (: Thanks again everybody, Bye!


	2. Ch 2 An older version of a genin

Hellllo everyone(: I finnished the second chapter of Naruto; The Next Generation. And it also occurred to me I should put a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Short and sweet, haha. So, with that taken care of, I don't really have much else to say, so i'll just get on with the story!

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"Ryouga i'm going to warn you right now, that you shouldn't mess with me, got it?" Sora growled at the young Hatake. With eating lunch already taken care of, the three team members were immediately sent off to a training area in the south side of the village to meet their jonin instructor. They were already on their way, slowly, but surely.

"Why are you warning me? There's no danger, so thus, that statement was unnecessary." The brownish-red haired ninja retorted back calmly, not even looking at Sora.

"YOU WANNA FIGHT?" The kunoichi yelled shaking her fist in the boys face as the three walked, her light brown hair flew around her wildly when she turned.

"Guys, guys! Calm down, eh? We're a team now, we shouldn't be fighting." Koichi spoke up now. Sora looked away from the Hatake boy and turned her attention to the prodigy of the Eisei clan, Koichi. He had snow-white spiky hair (like jaraiya's) that ended a little past his shoulders. He had cole-black eyes and a pale skin texture. He wore a overly big gray jacket that went at least 6 inches past his hands, hiding them, and also pants the color of his eyes, ending a few inches before his ankles. Typicial ninja shoes and his forehead protector hung around his neck.

"Hmph! No one asked you." Sora responded as she stuck her nose in the air, acting stubborn. "I've heard about this guy." The kunoichi thought. "He's suppost to be very professional, a prodigy of the Eisei clan..." Ryouga simply watched with an emotionless expression.

"Sora-chan, please calm down, save your energy for the date we should go on later! Say 7 o'clock?" The boy blushed as he reached to grasp Sora's hand.

The girl took a moment to take it all in before she realized what was happening. "Ahhh! Get back you freakkk!" The teen yelled pulling in her hands and backing up as she realized what was going on. "So much for professional!" Sora thought surprised.

"Ahah." Koichi laughed nervously growing embarrassed at the harsh rejection. Ryouga turned away making a "Tsk" noise looking uninterested as the three continued walking to the training grounds. Moments later, they arrived at the destination. Sora stood, her hands on her hips as she scanned around the forest they were now currently in.

"Where's our new instructor?" She spoke getting impatient.

"Right here." A voice from the shadows spoke. Koichi and Ryouga instantly turned their heads to where the voice came from, Sora was a little slower though. A couple of dull green bushes rustled and out came a tall, orange, blond ninja.

Koichi rose an eyebrow. "Wait, wh-" he started but was caught off guard by a large thumping noise. The noise of weight hitting the ground all at once.

The orange goofy ninja had fallen face first into the dirt.

He had triped over his own feet.

All three genin sweat-dropped tremendously at the sight and there eyes growing big and pupil-less anime style. "This is our new jonin...?" Ryouga thought. He shook his head at the sight. "That's what he gets for trying to be so cool." Sora snickered cheerfully, her light brown hair falling in front of her face as she did so. Naruto rubbed the side of his face as he got up from the ground into a kneeling position.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and from this point on I will be your new jonin instructor!" He grimaced at the pain but managed to stand up and give a playful grin.

"You seem like an older, adult version of a genin." Ryouga commented, looking right at the blonde with his usual facial. The boy's brownish-red hair whipped around as a breeze picked up in the forest. The trees overhead flowed around, back and forth. "How rude." thought Koichi, a frown planted across his lips as he sent a glare towards Ryouga.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the Hatake boy, deciding not to answer to the comment. "Sorry about that. But hey, how about some introductions then? Tell us a little about yourself. Dislikes, likes, goals, background. Anything. Let's start with you, Sora." Naruto put his full attention on the short girl as soon as he spoke the name. The girl gasped under her breathe at the fact he knew her name already, but kept the surprise to herself.

"Well... my name is Sora Risaikury, of the Risaikury clan! I like being a ninja and I worked hard to get here! I dislike Ryouga," She sent a mean look his way "...and people that lie! I don't actually have much background thats worth saying. " The teen girl paused for a moment, as if debating whether to say the next part of her introduction or not. "And my goal, well, i'm going to find and kill the person that wiped out my entire clan." Sora sighed, it was obvious that saying that was somewhat hard for her. "Sora..." Koichi didn't know what to think at the kunoichi's goal. "Interesting." Naruto thought. "In a sense, she's kind of like Sasuke." Naruto's grin widened.

"Your turn, Ryouga."

"Well, not that it's a surprise, but my name is Ryouga Hatake. I don't particularly like or dislike anything. My background is pretty plain and boring. And my goal isn't that interesting either." The boy didn't even make eye contact with any of the three, instead choosing to look off in the distance. As if he were in deep thought.

"He's nothing like his father." The jounin thought as he then decided to speak. "Alright, now for you, Koichi." Naruto smiled warmly at the last genin of the group. Sora stood, waiting for the white-haired shinobi to start.

"My name is Koichi Eisei, of the Eisei clan. I like healing and helping other shinobi, I get pleasure from it. I dislike war, and my background is like what Ryouga-kun said, plain. My goal is to be the top medic-nin of this village and of my clan." A small smile crossed his lips, thinking of the ambition. "So this is the prodigy, huh?" Naruto thought, trying not to stare at the boy.

"Alright! Now my turn, right?" Naruto spoke up, balling his hand into a fist in excitement. "Like I said earlier, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I've always loved ramen and of course this village. I dislike few things. And my background? Now that's a secret! As for my goal? It has never changed, ever since a young boy, it has stayed the same."

"But what is it?" Sora took a step forward, making a small "pat" noise. Naruto shook his head, looking like he wasn't going to tell.

"Another secret." He simply responded, his expression changing from warm to sly. Another breeze hit the group, making the new silence even more odd then it already was.

"Well, I think I should go on to tell you guys something else." Naruto broke the silence. All three looked right at the blond-haired jonin directly this time as he continued. It was odd, Sora wasn't usually that quiet. "Tomorrow there will be another test." Sora openly gasped.

"What are you talking about?" Sora shouted at the blond, anger rising in her. "Yeah! What do you mean?" Koichi added on to what Sora said. Ryouga was the only one to stay calm. "We just took a test. What is the point of another?"

"It will all be explained tomorrow." Naruto grinned widely at all three shinobi. "And it's a tough one. Be at the east training grounds at 6 in the morning. Don't be late." Naruto sighed and took a look at the kunoichi. "Why is he looking at me!" The girl thought, a vein in her head already starting to appear. "With that, i'll see you guys later!" And with those final parting words the blond ninja dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ugh." Sora grumbled under her breathe. "Great. Another test. I barely passed the last one I took!" The teen crossed her arms in discontent as the breeze picked up again making her hair dance around her.

"Everyone is quite aware." Ryouga thought as he attempted to conceal a snicker.

Fail.

"What's so funny?" Sora's head shot over to where the Hatake boy stood, her eyes squinted with suspician. "Oh geez." Koichi facepalmed as he silently watched the two. "I hope this doesn't go south."

"Nothing, nothing." Ryouga waved his left hand in the air as if dismissing the thought. "But anyways, i've got plans. So i'll see you losers later." He nodded his head at his "comrades" as he jumped away in a blur of black. "What an idiot." Sora spoke to no one in peticular even though Koichi was only a few feet away. The boy sighed.

"At least it didn't THAT get heated." He sweatdropped, trying to be positive. But at that same moment, the young long-haired kunoichi interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, Koichi. I'm actually going to go get some ramen in a second here. I always go alone...so wanna come along this time?" She offered as she rubbed the back of her head cutely. "I'm not sure why I asked... but maybe since we're on the same team now we can get to know each other?" Sora thought as she awaited Koichi's answer. He didn't waste much time.

"AS IN A DATE?" He nearly yelled, hearts appearing in his eyes.

"Hahah, no, but lets go anyways!" Sora rejected the medic-nin for the second time that day, but with a smile this time. The kunoichi turned on her heel and began walking, the smile still pasted on her lips. Koichi ran up and started walking beside the girl, still happy at the offer to go and eat together.

"So, um, Koichi...Your of the Eisei clan?" Sora attempted to make conversation with the white-haired shinobi, but nervously scratched at her thigh. The girl didn't have many friends in the village, so it was hard to talk and be around other people sometimes.

"Yes, I am." He proudly responded looking into Sora's eyes. Oh, how that made her uncomfortable. She scratched at her thigh even more as they continued to walk out of the

"I hear your some kind of prodigy." She avoided eye contact.

"That would be the name given to me by outsiders of my clan. But in truth, I don't condider myself anything that special."

Sora snapped her head up and stared at the boys face in disbelief. "But, but your amazing! You can already heal bones and you just got out of the academy! Do you realize how impressive that is? I wouldn't even dream of being that good." The second she finnished she regretted it. "Sorry. I got a little carried away there." She smirked at the ground, getting more comfortable around Koichi by the second at the fact he didn't have an outburst back. Or say anything out of line.

"Sora." He simply responded. The kunoichi didn't look up, waiting for him to continue. Koichi's warm expression turned to a frown now. Slowly, he moved his hand down and cupped her cheek, he brought her face up and aligned hers with his until the two were staring directly into each others eyes. "Look at me when you talk, Sora." His frown turned into a warm smile, so much that the girl couldn't help but smile back. "Wow, he makes me feel so...so comfortable! Maybe I should stop rejecting him so meanly. He seems like a great guy." She thought still looking into the white-haired boys eyes. Seconds later, Sora broke the connection. Koichi let his hand fall from Sora's cheek as the two broke through the forest, and started the path to Ichiraku's.

-X-

The breeze turned into a stronger wind as it pushed and pulled at the tree tops, unaware of the four beings hiding in the tree's shadows. The moon glint in the dark, as it was almost full.

"How is it coming along?" The first, dark figure asked.

"Perfect. No one of this pitiful village suspects a thing sensei."

"Mmm." The first figure made a pleased sound.

One of the other shadows spoke up now. "When do we make our move? I'm growing impatient by simply just watching. I hate watching."

"You must Amo, for things must fall into place, and that takes time." Another figure answered.

"I'm going to return sensei." The second voice interrupted.

"Very well. Remember our plan."

"Yes, I understand...Kabuto-sensei." And with those last words the figure dissapeared into the shadows of the night.

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Ahhh! Short, I know! It's almost like a fillller! ): Well, anyways, took longer then expected to write this. So I hope you enjoyed! ^^ And if you could spare a few moments of your time to make a review, i'd REALLLLY appreciate it. (: Bye guys!


	3. Ch 3 The bell test

Well, here I am again with chapter three!

Disclaimer; I do not own Naruto.

Guess that's it for announcements, sooo, I'll just get on with the fic. (:

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Yawning loudly and somewhat obnoxiously, Sora took a final step as she made it into the designated training area. The sun was just beginning to peak over the Horizon, illuminating the trees with a faint, but beautiful shine. She was, surprisingly, the first one to show up.

"_Why am I here so early? This isn't like me at all." _thought the kunoichi as she rubbed the grogginess of sleep from her eyes. Her hair looked a complete mess, all tangled and not brushed enough though her clothes weren't much better either. They weren't even properly put on, and seemed to be wrinkled and un-washed.

Sora looked around the area, she was standing in a clearing with forest surrounding her in almost all directions. The girl turned her body to where she had come from, not far away stood a large stone tablet with inscriptions all around itself.

"_Wonder what that is…" _She thought to herself as she began walking toward it, her interest growing by every step she took. Only meters away from her destination, something interrupted her. Out of what seemed like no where a hand came and placed itself on the girls left shoulder, resting peacefully on her light pink top.

Bad decision.

"Hey S-" A boys voice spoke behind the hand but it was to late for the kunoichi to stop her actions. She rapidly turned around, swiping the boys hand away in the process and furiously threw her fisted hand into the strangers stomach with such speed even Rock Lee couldn't match. Her eyes didn't look the same friendly way they always did, somehow, they were darker this time around, but the kunoichi held her fist in place, not retreating from the punch just yet.

"S-s-so-sora?" The white-haired genin choked out, small droplets of blood spewing from his mouth and coloring the green blades below.

It was Koichi!

The girl let her eyes wander the familiar comrade, as if she were unable to register the fact of who she had hit. The white-haired boy stood with bent knees, Sora's fist looking permanently glued to his abdominals. His eyes were widened in pain as his head bent forward, his gaze fixated on the grass at Sora's feet.

Instantly Sora retreated her fist upon realizing who it was that she had hit, And almost instantly that same moment Koichi began falling into the grass underneath his himself, his knees buckling unable to hold his body up.

"_Oh my gosh! What have I done?_"The brown-haired girl panicked as she hunched her back, catching Koichi in her arms just before he hit the ground below. She lifted up the boys chin with her hand, putting most of Koichi's weight on her right side. Staring at his peaceful face and seeing his eyes were now closed, the kunoichi concluded that most likely happened, was the shock and pain all at once and in one point of the body, it must have put him unconscious.

"Oh my god, oh my god…!" Sora spoke aloud as she continued to worry as to what she should do to help the poor boy. Her pupils darted back and forth in her eyes, looking to see if anyone was around to help and unfortunately, there was not a soul. The kunoichi really never was good in positions like this.

Unable to come up with much of a plan, the young Risaikury clan member began to to pull Koichi's right arm around her shoulders and held it tight around her neck to assure he wouldn't fall from her. But, considering Sora's height, it wasn't really much of a fall. The kunoichi then began to walk in the direction of where the team was suppose to meet, the first few steps hard to take, but gradually getting used to the extra weight on her left side. "It'll be alright Koichi," Started the girl under her breathe. "Hopefully Naruto-sensei will be there and he'll know what to do." Sora huffed as walking with the other genin began to grow tiresome. "It'll be alright." She repeated once more, not allowing her pace to slow as determination filled her eyes.

-X-

"_Ah, Sora, very interesting!_" thought Naruto as he watched the female genin haul Koichi to where she hoped he, Naruto himself, would be. "_It seems that punch into Koichi's stomach was a little bit more then surprise? It seems you forgot what was going on around you…even if for a moment…and focused on hurting the poor kid. _" The kyuubi boy pondered as he continued to watch Sora walk from his hideout in a thick tree nearby. "_But it was obvious hurting him wasn't really intended…. Maybe there was a little bit more to your clans wipeout then ANBU discovered…._" Naruto took a rest from his thoughts and sighed wistfully, looking at the ground below the tree. "_This event something to keep in mind…_"A grin appeared on the blonde's lips as he lifted his head back up, and took off toward the spot Sora was heading to at top speed.

-X-

"Naruto-sensei, Naruto-sensei!" Sora exclaimed loudly as the blonde came in sight. She still had the white-haired boy at her side as she dragged herself over to the jounin. He was standing in the clearing with his hands in his pockets where she was earlier, before she started heading to the stone tablet. The jounin merely raised an eyebrow at her, as if he had no idea what was going on although in actuality he knew perfectly.

"I accidently hurt Koichi sensei! Please help!" The kunoichi exclaimed again just as she took a few final steps, stopping about a foot away from her sensei. Naruto grinned widely at the younger genin, thus making a confused look spread across Sora's face, it almost seemed to ask: "Are you crazy?"

"Calm yourself, Sora. It'll be alright. Judging by the breathing, he's just unconscious. He should wake up within the next few minutes or so." Naruto kept his widened grin, making the kunoichi relax somewhat as she gently rested Koichi on the grass by their feet. "Thank goodness, I was worried really hurt him for a second there!" Sora spoke with a hint of playfulness in her voice and scratched the back of her head with a little embarrassment thrown in the pot of emotions.

Gazing at Sora, Naruto allowed his grin to slowly dim as his thoughts began to consume his mind. "_I really need to watch this girl, with outbursts like that even this, the the dead-last female to graduate, is a danger…" _Naruto's expression turned a little thoughtful as Sora didn't try to hide another confused look. "_Geez. Iruka was right, she is like me._" And with that last thought he clapped his hands together suddenly, the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the air around the two. Sora's attention was gained, to say the least.

"Once Ryouga gets here, we can begin the test!" The blonde spoke excitedly as he tilted his head and looked into the cloud-less sky.

Sora's eyes shown excitement as well and opening her mouth, getting ready to speak, alas the kunoichi was rudely interrupted by Ryouga's voice.

"I'm here." he spoke revealing himself from the hidden tree's. Obviously he hadn't taken the direct, easy, route.

"_Great. Mr. I' is here already , just wonderful_." The Risaikury clan member sighed, not bothering to hide the disappointment that the kill-joy was arriving faster then expected.

"Ryouga." Naruto acknowledged with a nod of his head, and began speaking again. "Your only 5 minutes late. Hmm, not quite as bad as your father was, but still, I can tell you're his son." Naruto attempted a smile while Ryouga simply scowled at the mention of his father.

"_Was…?" _Sora pondered for a moment, but quickly dismissed the thought. And as if on que, Koichi's motionless body began to stir, slowly at first, but faster as the seconds ticked by. Eventually, the genin's eyes fluttered open, and his cole-black eyes began moving around, trying to process where he was. Sora grinned ear to ear, happy that he had awoken.

"Where am I?" Koichi finally spoke, kneeling on the grass on all fours, and then making his way to a standing position. Sora, for the second time that day, opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted, this time by her sensei.

"With your teammates. We're about to begin the test I mentioned yesterday, remember?" He gazed at the newly awoken genin, testing his memory.

"Oh, yes, now I remember. But, I'm a little curious to how did I ended up unconscious? All I remember from today was seeing Sora's back, and then, nothing." The white-haired genin spoke in a professional tone, making him sound in away, emotion-deprived.

Sora's head sunk down sadly, mad at herself for what she did to a comrade. Picking her head up, the girl was deciding on how to tell Koichi it was an accident, that is, until Naruto spoke up for her.

"Koichi, Sora came to me and told me what had happened the instant it did. She said she heard a noise behind herself and said you were behind her, passed out on the ground. You've been over-working yourself haven't you?" The orange jounin warmly grinned at the genin, waiting for an answer. Sora simply stood there in shock, while Ryouga ignored the whole ordeal with little to no interest.

"Well, now that I think about it, I have been working extra hard lately." Koichi concluded with a warm smile back.

Sora simply stood, surprised, watching as the two went back and forth about how to not over-work yourself and to eat right, and all the useless crap she never bothered to listen to. But the real surprise was, why did Naruto sensei cover for her? It didn't make any sense. Did he see it happen, her hitting Koichi on accident? Sora's mind began flooding with thoughts, as the two began to stop talking about health and about the task at hand. The test, to be exact.

"So, that's the rules, everybody got it? Naruto concluded looking at the three faces of his teammates. "Do you, Sora?" he added on specifically.

"Um…yes?" Sora just came back to reality as she nodded her head, though she really had no idea what she just agreed to. Seconds later, it hit her. "_Oh no I missed all the test rules!_" The girl mentally kicked herself as Naruto once more began speaking.

"Ready…and BEGIN!" He shouted and at that instant Koichi and Ryouga took off in blurs towards the surrounding forest. Sora simply stood there, a single drop of sweat forming on her brow.

"Uhh..Naruto-sensei?" The girl asked, a frown appearing on her lips.

"Yes Sora?"

"What do I do?"

Koichi sweat-dropped hearing the girls question from behind a large tree, while Ryouga simply shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips for the first time that day. "_What an idiot. But still, she's growing on me."_ He thought from underneath a few green bushes.

Naruto sighed, but smiled as well. "I figured as much. So, to make a long story short, all you gotta do is take one of these bells from me!" The jounin held two, small silver bells in front of his face, the chiming sound sounded delightful to Sora's ears. "And if you fail…" He paused to make it sound dramatic. "…you get sent right back to the academy."

The kunoichi gasped at the thought, but held her tongue. She certainly was NOT going back to the academy, that was for sure. Finally, the kunoichi spoke, but of something else regarding the test.

"There's only two bells, but three of us, what's the deal with that? Did you lose a bell or something?" The teen accused, her eyes narrowing.

"Nope." He simply responded with a pause, and for the second time that day, the blonde yelled 'BEGIN!'

"Oh, whatever Naruto-sensei, it doesn't really matter how many there are anyways since I'm gonna get at least one bell no matter what!" Sora chuckled with excitement as she reached into her hostel and pulled out a smooth, brand new kunai. Koichi and Ryouga watched intently from their hiding spots, interested to see what was going to happen.

"You're a big talker… Show me that's not all you can do?" Naruto challenged, a devious grin forming on his lips. Quickly, he tied the bells with a string to his pants pocket. Sora smirked, holding the kunai out as the sun glint off the polished new metal. "You got it!" She yelled as she came charging forward, her kunai ready to stab the blonde clear through. Naruto didn't move an inch until Sora was only meters away, and at that moment he side-stepped swiftly to the right, the kunai passing his ear so closely he could hear the weapon slice through the air. Then hastily he grabbed the kunoichi's wrist and squeezed, thus making the girl yelp in pain, Naruto smirked and threw the girl to the side, releasing her wrist. the result: Sora landing head-first into a bush. "Frontal attacks won't work on me." Naruto stated in a matter-of-factly tone, gazing at the kunoichi as she stumbled to get back up. Koichi shook his head in disappointment from his hiding spot. "_Sora… you should know that that type of stuff won't do you much good if it's only one on one." _Ryouga simply made a disapproving 'tsk'

Finally, the long-haired girl made her way completely out of the bush. "That was just a test." She said wiping the dist off her shorts and not bothering to look at her sensei. Naruto simply waited for the next assault, and seconds later, it came. Sora quickly ran at the jounin, and once in range made a quick punch to his head but he merely ducked below it and attempted kicking her away. But thankfully for Sora, she was faster then the kick was and jumped over it aiming another punch at Naruto's stomach. But she was still no match for her sensei. He quickly grabbed her fist and threw her away once more, the only difference this time was Sora flipping her body over during flight, managing to land safely on her feet.

The jounin opened his mouth to congratulate her on not completely failing this time around but was cut off as she came charging at him once more. Naruto simply sighed that she was still sticking to frontals and jumped over the spin kick she tried once reaching him. Still in the air Naruto spun quickly and without Sora even realizing it, his foot connected powerfully to her shoulder and sent her flying into a nearby tree and instantly the noise of cracking branches filled the atmosphere.

"_She's lucky I didn't kick hard. If I had, she might not be able to get up…but still, I gotta give her credit for stopping her flight and landing safely a few minutes ago. At her age, I probably just would have crashed into the ground."_ Naruto chuckled at the memory of himself taking the same test many years ago, the bells chiming sweetly next to his pocket.

Koichi jumped through the trees quietly as he made his way over to the tree he thought he'd seen Sora fly into. _"Well this is diffidently the tree, but where's Sora?" _Koichi arrived, scanning the tree and seeing several broken tree branches, but no sign of the kunoichi.

"Hey, I ain't done yet."

Koichi heard the voice below him, and immediately he looked down. It was Sora, gaining Naruto's attention again. She was breathing a little more harder then usual, but she didn't seem badly injured or anything besides a few cuts and scrapes on her legs due to the tree. "_She keeps on going!" _Ryouga thought, his eyes widening a little at the sight. "_I think it's time I get involved!" _Thought the Hatake boy as he jumped away from the bush he was crouching under and next to Sora, well not exactly, but close. Naruto simply raised an eyebrow at the sight. "_Ryouga to the rescue?"_ The jounin smirked just as Koichi suddenly had an idea.

"_Teamwork!" _the white-haired genin's face seemed to light up. "_Even if Sora isn't the most skilled ninja around, neither me or Ryouga would be able to get a bell by ourselves. We probably couldn't even touch it. But if we assist each other and form a plan… there's a small chance…" _Immediately Koichi jumped down from the tree top and landed elegantly in front of his two teammates once his train of thought finished. Hastily he began to tell them his plan.

"_Ah, so they figured it out, already?" _Naruto didn't try to hide the look of being impressed on his face as the sun shown brightly in the sky. The timer would ring soon, although Sora had no idea this was even timed. That's what she got for not paying attention. Finally Naruto's subordinates finished talking and laid eyes on him with their game faces on, so Naruto returned the expression.

"Let's goooo!" Sora cried as she charged at the jounin and unleashing several shurikun (I really don't know how to spell that, lol) Naruto acted accordingly and deflected every one with a kunai he pulled from his own hostel. Quickly, Koichi threw his own kunai at Naruto while Sora jumped into the air with a punch with Naruto's name on it. The jounin grabbed the kunai by the handle in mid-air and threw it back while at the same time with his other hand grabbing Sora's fist in his palm. Out of no where Ryouga came from behind, and the jounin didn't even notice until the genin was were inches away from the prize.

"_Not bad._" And with that thought the orange shinobi lifted his left leg and brought it down on Sora's back just as he was about to touch the bell. Now it was Koichi's turn as he pulled a Sora move and came rushing in from the side. Naruto, still having Sora's fist in his own, tossed the kunoichi into her white-haired teammate, who instinctively held his hands the catch the kunoichi, but fell down himself in the process.

Naruto took a few step around Ryouga, who still hadn't gotten up from the grass and smirked at all three. "You guys aren't that b-" The jounin quit talking as the timer finally came to it's end, and began ringing loudly. Sora, who was now standing next to Koichi, gawked.

"This was timed?" She yelled as her hand and went into a fist and a single drop of sweat ran down her forehead. "If you would have paid attention you would have known that." Ryouga answered for Naruto, getting up from the grass and dusting his pants off of unwanted dirt.

"Yup." Naruto simply replied with a smile.

"What's so funny, huh! We all failed! That's not something to smile about!" Sora spat out at the orange shinobi.

Naruto took a deep breathe and shook his head back and forth. "Your wrong." he paused and looked at all three genin. "You all pass!" The three genin gasped quietly at the sentence… how did they ever manage to pass? Naruto took a few steps forward and un-clenched Sora's fist. The girl just merely watched in confusion.

"How, Naruto-sensei?" Koichi asked in his usual, professional tone.

"Simple. The whole point of this assignment was to test your teamwork skills. Some teams genin would just attack by themselves recklessly, like Sora was earlier when you two didn't jump down and help formulate a plan." The jounin glanced at the two males and continued. "But, by working together, the three of you managed to come a lot closer then you normally would have if you attacked by yourselves. Get it? We put you on three man cells for a reason."

Ryouga nodded as Naruto finished talking, while Koichi weakly smiled and threw in a 'Oh, I get it!' Sora, on the other hand, was confused.

"So wait, you tested our ability to work as a team?" The kunoichi questioned while gazing at her sensei.

"Exactly."

Sora took a moment to let it all process.

"WAIT! Then we didn't have to get even a single bell as long as we ATTEMPTED to work together?" The point of the task finally hit the girl at full force.

"You got it." Naruto grinned sheepishly. _"Slow, just like I was at her age." _The jounin sweat dropped at the thought as he rubbed the back of his head. Koichi smiled as Sora finally got the point, but Ryouga was the one that spoke up.

"God, your so stupid, it takes you ten years just to get one thing through that thick head of yours!" He mocked taking a step closer to the kunoichi, "You really wanna start this now, asshole?" Sora took several steps and got into her teammates face , yelling. "Hell yeah, I do!" He responded just as angrily and loudly as Sora. "Guys, guys, calm down!" Koichi tried to put water on the fire but only made the fire burn hotter. "Stay out of this!" Both Sora and Ryouga yelled at Koichi in unison and went back to insulting each other.

Naruto only sweat dropped again at the sight._ "Amazing how they actually managed to make a plan without arguing like this."_ he thought and chuckled heartedly, thus gaining the attention of his fighting subordinates. He took the opportunity.

"Well, if you guys are done fighting. Now would be a good time to say we're starting our first mission tomorrow!" The jounin exclaimed. All three genin looked at least a little excited. Sora, although, looked beyond it.

"Meet here tomorrow at noon." Naruto spoke once more as he turned his back and began walking away, moving his hand into the air in a motionless wave.

"Understood." All three genin said in usion as Naruto disappeared from sight. Sora tightly clenched her fists together. "_Bring on the worst!"_

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Wow, managed to get this one out pretty quick. Haha, sorry about the whole Koichi&&Sora cute moment last chapter and this chapter Sora beating the crap out of him. Lol but it was kinda crucial to the stories plot and all that cool stuff, and hmmm wonder why Ryouga emerged from the bushes and not the path? Guess you guys will have to keep reading to find out (;

So anyways, that's about it. Have a good one.


	4. Ch 4 Surprise! A new Branked mission!

Sarahisabeast1 here, bringing my readers chapter four of Naruto; Next Generation! Sorry it took so long, I got my laptop taken away and then right after I went on a family vacation up north.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto.

Oh and Before I get to the story, I would just like to say that I KNOW I've got readers but not getting as many reviews as I'd like, so c'mon guys, don't be shy! I'd really appreciate it! (:

Ha, well my badgering is just about done, on with the story!

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"THIS, Naruto-sensei, is COMPLETELY boring and pointless!" Sora, in all her whiny and lazy glory, complained irritably as she laid on her back while Koichi and Ryouga continued the mission dutifully.

If it was even considered such a thing.

"I'm with lazy-ass over there on this one." Ryouga commented as he tossed a dull-tipped kunai to the ground and took a step back from the tree. Sora glared at the Hatake boy but refrained from saying anything. She was to tired to get into an argument right now.

Koichi, being the only one still working, finally gave in and threw his own dulled kunai to the ground and sighed. "We couldn't have gotten a better mission then being assigned to cut down an old tree? I'm sure Ryouga could easily take it down with one of his techniques. Plus, this mission is more like a chore anyways."

"Guys, your missing the whole point here!" Naruto finally spoke up as he rose from the tree branch he was sitting on in one of konoha's forests. "The objective is to learn work-ethic. Y'know, responsibility, hardwork, all that fun stuff." He grinned down at the three as he slurped ramen from a portable cup.

"Easy for you to say when your sitting comfortably and enjoying a meal while you watch us break our backs doing this… this chore!" Sora protested as she shot up from the laying position she was in. "This whole thing doesn't even deserve the right of being called a mission!" And with that Ryouga and Koichi vigorously nodded in agreement.

Naruto grunted in response as he jumped down from his perch on the tree. "So what your saying is you guys want somethin' a little more… adventurous?"

"YEEEEEESSS!" Sora cried as she latched onto her sensei's leg and refused to let go. Ryouga sighed while Koichi laughed softly.

The orange jounin smiled gently, Sora constantly reminded him of himself back in his younger days. It was a nice thing though, in actuality.

"Umm. As much as my leg loves the company, Sora, I can't walk to Grandma-erm I mean Lady Hokage's without BOTH fully functioning legs…" Naruto paused taking a long, deep breathe. "…TO REQUEST A HIGHER LEVEL MISSIONNN!" He finished as he thrusted his arms into the air with excitement, the kid in him coming out again. "WOOHOOOO!" The kunoichi separated herself from her sensei's leg and jumped down in excitement while Koichi let out a loud "Yes!" Ryouga simply stood in the background sweat-dropping. "_I'm surrounded by idiots."_ He thought as the three began chattering loudly about the on-coming mission.

**Later that day…**

Naruto stood several meters away from the entrance to Tsunade's office, his team was looking expectantly at jounin as if to ask why they were waiting. "Alright," The jounin began. "Lady Hokage might not be in her prime anymore and is older then many in this village, but nevertheless, she is easily the strongest shinobi of the leaf…"

"Why are you telling us this?" Ryouga commented as he crossed his arrms. "We already know this information."

Naruto glared at the boy but continued. "I'm saying this because she has a temper. Beyond anyone I've ever met, and plus you guys have never requested a higher-level mission directly. But, watch what you say and act accordingly, you should be fine. I will try and do most of the talking though." The blond ninja finally finished and shifted his gaze from Sora to Koichi to Ryouga, a smile pasted on the orange ninja's face.

"Naruto-sensei…thanks and all for the concern, but I can take handle this myself! So, I'll be right back with our mission details." Sora nodded confidently and walked over to the large door, turned the handle, and with one last "I'mreallyawesome" look at her subordinates, the kunoichi disappeared behind the door.

"How long you give her?" Koichi asked sweat-dropping tremendously. Naruto sighed in response as he quietly counted down from 10, his gaze at this feet.

"…3.…2.…" The orange shinobi almost was done as he lifted his head, setting his gaze now at the door Sora walked through merely seconds ago. "…1." The blond jounin finished just as Sora flew threw the closed door while it shattered into millions of wooden pieces. She hit the brown-colored wall in front of the door hard then slowly slid to the floor beneath herself.

"Oww." The kunoichi mumbled under her breath as she rubbed at the side of her head. Just then, Tsunade emerged from the hole Sora had created and was looking anything but calm. The women had aged gracefully, now being around the age of 65, her body was thinning out and wrinkles were apparent on her face and around her body, She wore longer blue pants and was without her green robe at the moment. Her hair was shorter, but still in the two pigtails she always wore. She looked incredible for her age.

"What do you mean by hag, you idiotic little twerp? I could tear you to pieces right now if I wished!" The blond Hokage took some steps forward and lowered her head as she glared until the two girls faces were only inches away from each other. Because of her growing age it must have made the hot-tempered ninja softer, back in her day she might've just thrown Sora across the village at the moment.

"N-no! No, I didn't mean that!" Sora practically cried out as she moved her open hands back in forth as a 'stop' signal. Naruto sweat-dropped while Koichi grinned at the sight, it was typical Sora. "Hmph." Ryouga grunted, just wanting to get the mission. Tsunade lifted an eyegrow, her glare softening.

"You really are pretty for your age Tsunade-sama." Sora suger-coated the words with a smile and a rare honorific, which she rarely used.

Suddenly the blond Hokage's g;lare turned into a bright smile and her stiff posture turned to normal. She lifted her head up and ruffled the light-brown hair atop the smaller kunoichi's head. "Well aren't you a sweetie. Please, bring your team and come inside my office! Surely you needed something, correct?" Sora just nodded, the smile on her face unwavering, and within moments, all four of the ninja were inside the Hokage's office.

"Ah, Naruto! How has things been going lately? Your new team looks rather…" Tsunade paused and looked from Sora's face, to Koichi's, then finally to Ryouga's. "…apprehensive." she finished. _"That Ryouga looks to be the strongest of all three. Koichi…theEisei clan's finest genin…and Sora. The one with the wiped-out clan. I can practically feel the determination this genin gives off…" _Tsunade made a mental note of all three as Naruto began to speak.

"So far team 9 has had 9 D-ranked missions." Naruto began calmly. "We are here to request a mission of higher status!"

"Hm." Was the Hokage's only reply as she then began to sift through what looked like thousands of papers apon her desk. Seconds passed as Sora watched expectantly, her hopes rising with every paper the blond looked at. "_Come on old lady! I need this mission! How am I ever going to avenge my clan if I don't get a better mission then cutting down trees or finding lost pets!" _

Finally, after more intense waiting, Tsunade spoke.

"Nope. No C-rank missions at the moment." The women sat back in her chair in a relaxing manor.

"Are you kidding me?" Sora flew forward and thrusted her fist down on the wooden desk in anger. "None?"

Tsunade looked like she was about to speak but instead it was Ryouga. "Sora. She said there was none. There's nothing she can do about it." The way the Hatake boy said it was emotionless, but all the same it was true. Sora simply glared at the boy.

Naruto finally spoke. "Tsunade." He paused, happy that he remembered now to put a 'granny' in front of her name. "I've known you for over almost 20 years, maybe more. I know by now the way you do things. There IS a C-rank mission available." Koichi gasped silently, and even Ryouga seemed a bit surprised. "What?" Sora was the only one who spoke while Tsunade sighed in being caught.

"Naruto. How I miss when you were young and believed anything I told you. But yes, you are right. I have one C-rank mission here. But you should know by now that I don't assign the last mission in any rank to any team. Or else the village will be completely out in a certain mission type, it's really only for the best I take this precaution." The Hokage sighed once more.

The orange jounin surprised every single person in the room in what he said next. Something that even his old sensei, Kakashi, would have never asked for team 7.

"Is there any B-rank missions?"

Upon hearing the words, Sora's expression changed dramatically. From surprise, to shock, then to excitement as the words processed. _"B-rank? Does he really think we're that strong?" _The Kunoichi thought giddily.

"Are you crazy Naruto? Even giving a C-rank is dangerous enough for a group of genin! Assigning A B-ranked mission to genin fresh out of the academy is suicide. I won't allow it." Tsunade stood up from her chair and glared angrily at the jounin for even suggesting such a thing.

The orange shinobi sighed. This would take some convincing.

"I think I know my team better then you, Tsunade. Their strengths, weaknesses, and what their capable of. I think they can handle this. Plus, they're with me. A jounin. As the Hokage I can see how it would be hard for you to let yourself assign such a high-ranked mission to genin fresh out of the academy, but you need to trust my judgment on this. Me and my team can do this!" Naruto stared deep into Tsunade's eyes, his determination was fierce and Tsunade felt it. Although, deep within the jounin's own thoughts resided a tinge of doubt…but he didn't let it show.

The Hokage took a moment and thought, but didn't budge on her answer. "My decision is final. No."

"Tsunade." Naruto spoke softly. "Trust me. I KNOW we can do this!" Naruto's eyes didn't stray from Tsunade's. "Please."

That was her cracking point.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll trust you. But you and your group better, and I mean BETTER, come back alive." Tsunade stated stiffly as she pulled out the paperwork for the easiest B-rank mission out from a compartment in her desk as old memories appeared themselves in her mind.

-flashback-

_There. _

_Right there on the grass a body was laying motionless._

_It was Dan,_

_and atop his body lay a crying Tsunade._

"_Don't go…! Don't go..!" Repeated the crying blond as she struggled to heal him, her hands glowing brightly with chakra. _

"_Don't go! Don't go!" The words were getting quicker and louder. The bright chakra on her hands gleamed even more brightly. _

_Seconds ticked by._

"_DON'T GO! DON'T GO! DON'T GO!" She yelled as the swirling chakra in her hands grew even more brighter. Suddenly, A hand touched her shoulder._

"_He's gone, Tsunade!" The owner of the hand shouted._

-new flashback-

_Silent and weeping, Tsunade stood before her little brothers tombstone. The funeral was over. She was the last one there and had yet to lay her flowers down by the cold, hard piece of rock._

_A strong wind whipped at her clothes and hair, making the two blond pigtails dance around her. Gently, the younger Tsunade placed the colorful flowers at the front of the tomb. Tears streamed down her face and fell onto the flowers she had just placed. _

"_Goodbye…brother." She choked out between sobs as her emotions seemed to flow out endlessly._

-new flashback-

_It was her and Naruto this time, except, they were both young. The orange ninja was merely a genin and she herself hadn't even become Hokage yet. _

_They were fighting each other for the second time that week, Naruto had challenged her yet again. They were in the grambling town's street where Jiraiya and Naruto had come to find her to bring her back to the hidden leaf village. _

_The young genin charged gallantly at her as she lifted her thumb and pointer fingers to flick the boy away. Only inches away from the hand, Naruto stopped himself and closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that was sure to come._

_Only, it didn't. _

_He opened his eyes to see Tsunade kissing the top of his forehead, a warm feeling spreading through both their bodies. _

"_Naruto…you'll make a fine Hokage." The blond women spoke and she now stood up and placed her crystal necklace around the boy's neck. Naruto grinned sheepishly as Tsunade smiled, as well as Shizune and Jiraiya did to._

-flashback end-

Tsunade's gaze softened dramatically at she looked at the jounin-level ninja before her. "I mean it, Naruto…don't die." She gave a small smile as all the old memories of her younger days left her mind for the moment being.

"Naruto…you'll make a fine Hokage."

The three genin watched in surprise at the comment, Naruto was going to be Hokage some day?

"Thank you." Was Naruto's surprised response as a grin enveloped his lips just like the one of so many years ago.

Tsunade nodded her head and began to get a bit more serious. " Now, about mission details…"

Now Sora's turn to grin. "Woo hooo!" She cheered, pumping her fist into the air above. "Excited, I take it?" Koichi smiled but got no response from the ecstatic Kunoichi. Tsunade began speaking as she pulled out a medium sized cream-colored scroll.

"Right here, I have a scroll containing highly important, top-secret information on wandering ninja's who were known in the land of birds as great threats and powerful ninja. They were ninja who, hence the name, were wanderers and traveled through villages collecting new jutsu. They copied the jutsu with great skill but the drawback being…"

"…they couldn't make it their own, or make it as powerful as the real thing." Naruto interrupted the women with the exact same words she had in mind.

"Correct. If my memory serves me, didn't you have a mission in the land of birds as a genin, Naruto? With team Gai?"

"Yeah, haha, that mission sure was a hard one for me back then!"

Sora, Ryouga and Koichi all sweat-dropped. "Thanks for making us feel better about getting a B-ranked mission, sensei." thought Koichi irritably.

Tsunade continued. "Your mission is to take this scroll back to the Land of Birds, they were kind and trusting enough to let us know that significant information so we must take excellent care in returning this scroll to lady Toki."

"Wait a second! Why is this such a high-level mission if all we're doing is taking a scroll to some village?" Sora spat but looked interested.

"I was getting to that." Tsunade rolled her eyes as she felt déjà vu, looking at Naruto.

"The danger in this mission is the fact that no surrounding land of the Land of Birds wanted Lady Toki to share that information with us. She has tried to calm the situation down but it's gone chaotic. She can't control the surrounding lands and they are awaiting the team of ninja from the village hidden in the leafs to return the scroll. They plan on taking the scroll and keeping it themselves to make sure that no other village will be able to get that information, the surrounding lands of the Land of Birds is retaliating and refuse to let the scroll get back to Lady Toki as they fear she will continue to share sacred information, although we are allies and the hidden leaf village has shared information with the Land of Birds before. Past incidents makes these surrounding lands untrusting of us for that information, or anyone else for that matter.." Tsunade hesitated before saying what was next. "Many shinobi will be sent to take that scroll from you, Team 9. Most likely, chunin level and higher. These ninja will not hesitate to kill you."

Sora gulped loudly at hearing the words, while Koichi turned to give her an encouraging look. Ryouga nodded his head and looked in Sora's direction. "_Can she handle this?"_ Was his only thought.

"Lastly. You four represent the leaf village. Show Lady Toki that you are reliable and excellent ninja. Naruto seems to have faith in you three genin, so I'm trusting him on letting you take on this mission. Prove him right." Tsunade smiled at the last sentence she spoke at all three genin, who smiled back, even Ryouga. Naruto then walked up to the Hokage's desk and received the paperwork for the mission and scroll.

"Ready guys?" The jounin grinned as Sora replied loudly that she was going to 'kick some ninja ass'

"When and where do we meet?" Asked Ryouga as Koichi nodded, about to ask the same question.

"Tomorrow morning. Village gates. Don't be late, got it?" Naruto looked at his three subordinates waiting for an answer.

"Yes."

"I'll be there."

"You got it, sensei!"

Naruto simply nodded as he ushered his team out the still broken door. "I'll be seeing you, Tsunade! You can count on us!" and with those final parting words, the jounin was out the door.

Tsunade sat back down in her chair, a heaving sigh escaping her mouth as she realized they were all gone. "You just better come back alive, Naruto." The Hokage stopped a moment and pulled out a medical book to read. "You all better."

**The next morning.**

"Are you all ready to head on out?" The blond jounin asked expectantly as Ryouga arrived last only seconds ago. "Yeah, let's gooo!" Sora cheered happily as she ran out the gates, moments later, she realized she was running alone. Koichi, Ryouga, and Naruto were all walking slowly several meters behind her. "What the hell? Come on guys!" Sora pouted as she motioned for them to go faster. "It's about a day and a half walk from here, Sora. Go easy." Responded Koichi as Naruto added in a 'he's right'

"Bu-" Sora was about to protest but was cut off by her sensei.

"Take it easy. We have plenty of time. Hmm, maybe I'll even give you some training tips along the way?"

"R-Really?" Sora jumped a little bit in excitement. _"Bingo."_ Naruto thought with a smirk. He hit the target dead-on.

"Really."

The girl clasped her hands together cheerily. "Yes!" The kunoichi loudly cheered as she waited for her team to catch up to where she stood. "I just wanna battle some ninja already, though!" Sora added on as the rest of Team 9 made it to where she stood. "Careful what you wish for." Ryouga stated without even turning his head to look at the girl. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sora stuck her nose in the air as the four walked out of view from the village.

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Well, that's it for this chapter ladies and gentlemen. I'm not to happy with it considering I rushed and made it suck! But oh well. As always, reviews are awesome so if you could spare a moment or two to send one, that's always greatly appreciated. Next update should be waaaay sooner then how long it took me to make this one.

See ya next time.


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